


04 Forced proximity

by siriuslychessi



Series: Twitter Jilytober 2018 [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 20:03:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16226342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriuslychessi/pseuds/siriuslychessi
Summary: James and Lily are trapped and need to get along to get out.





	04 Forced proximity

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry I'm not able to post every day but I'll finish the prompts.

**04 Forced proximity**

* * *

It wasn't his plan, this wasn't  _his_  plan.

Yes, he meant to use the broom closet. Yes, he knew it was charmed, but he wasn't the one that thought of it.

It all had started in third year where Sirius and Remus had started to debate if jinxes or hexes were better. It was a tedious discussion, he had admitted that I could be interesting but after a while the two of them just got unbearable and Pete and him decided to do something.

Pete remembered that his mother used a bonding charm to make his older siblings behave and stop fighting, and as much as they wanted to do that they couldn't because they didn't know that charm just yet, but they knew the one that locked doors and couldn't be opened with a simple  _alohamora_. And that is how the charms started, they let Sirius and Remus enter the broom closet and waited until they heard a proper agreement, after that it became "the bonding closet".

Over the years they had done a few alterations to the space. They found the charm that could sense the reconciliation of the two parties, and one that made the room smaller a bit smaller as the time passed, so if the little distance between them because an issue the closet would take care of it. He knew all of this because he had used it to solve the big Quidditch fight of 74 with Peter, and they had pushed Peter and Remus in after the nut and book debacle; it was their way of saying "it's enough fighting you need to get in there and work it out" however this was the first time that a non-marauder was trapped in there.

It was weird how Lily Evans had managed to sneak up and tangle herself in this position. James knew that, aside from his obvious crush on her, Lily was friends with his friends and after the Halloween when they kissed things had been improving with their relationship, they weren't anything more than amicable but it was a nice change of the constant bickering. However they had fallen in the old pattern, they had started to fight about the smallest things: why they couldn't be partners in Potions, how it was possible that the only thing James could always talk about at lunch was Quidditch and how Lily chewed the tips of her quills when she was anxious. But the thing that pushed things over the edge was James asking Lily to Hogsmeade.

James had the best intentions, he swore but the founders that this wasn't a date, that his crush wasn't the reason he had uttered the words. Lily was mates with Remus, tutor partners with Pete and had a weird closeness to Sirius that he wasn't sure how it came to be but it was brilliant all the same; they all finally got along and he thought that maybe, just maybe she would want to go out with them to spend the afternoon at Hogsmeade, Remus would ask Dorcas and Marlene and they could just enjoy the town now that it was getting warm again.

However, when James said "Hey Evans, would you like to go to Hogsmeade this weekend?" he wasn't expecting the frustrated huff and her gathering her things.

"You are unbelievable." She huffed once more placing the strap of her bag on her shoulder, "I can't believe you… you know what I can." She added before turning and leaving. Not even letting James ask what was wrong, how he had fucked up that time, because he didn't think an invitation to hang was such a bad thing.

From that day until their actual predicament it had been almost a week, he knew because he got grumpier by the day and she grew cold and instead of being able to talk or her friends trying to get some sense into them they just pushed them into the 'bonding closet'. Solid logic, as you can see.

Lily had been banging the door non-stop pleading Sirius, Remus, Dorcas or Peter to let them out, that this wasn't funny. James thought that she was just desperate to get away from him, to not deal with that conversation, but her banging didn't seem caused because of him.

"Please, open up!" she pleaded one more time to the wooden door not even turning to look at him, she just jiggled the doorknob one more time with no luck.

"I don't think they are out there." James replied making Lily jump lightly before looking at him. She looked scared and paler that usual, even in the darkness of the closet he could see that something wasn't right. "Are you alright?"

Lily looked at James, he was calmed, composed, like nothing was wrong, and to him it probably wasn't, he was used to sneak around, maybe even hiding in places like this to avoid Filch or the prefects but Lily never liked being trapped. It wasn't just the small place just the sensation of feeling trapped without means of getting out. "I don't like being shoved into small places." She admitted quietly looking at the door again.

"I don't think anyone does." He tried lightening the mood but it he knew it wasn't working, she just felt small, and Lily never felt small, she was a force to be reckon with, that was one of the things James liked of her the most.

"Can you open it, then?" she asked quietly looking at him again, swallowing hard feeling the air in the room stuffy and wanting nothing more than just step out and go to the grounds and feel the fresh air. "Please?" she added after a bit of silence feeling that he was sort of punishing her for being mean the last couple of days, he wasn't much better.

James wasn't being mean, he was mentally cursing their friends, the ones that were supposed to know that she hated that environment, that the bonding closet wasn't supposed to traumatize you. "I can't." he admitted looking at the door, hearing the heavy sigh of Lily that didn't take her hand of the wooden surface. "It's charmed, it has too many for me to try them all." He admitted stepping closer , her green apple shampoo and faint flowery perfume hitting his senses.  _Stop that, is not time for that._  "It's supposed to open when we stop fighting." He explained looking at her, feeling a friend near might help her think of other things.

Lily huffed and actually gave a shaky chuckle, "Is this your version of the sibling shirt?" she asked a bit amused but still feeling the door willing it to open.

"And what is that?" James asked intrigued, maybe distracting her would help open the door as they wouldn't be fighting.

Lily looked at James once more, "Mum used to have this oversized shirt that she made me and my sister wear at the same time when we were fighting, by the end we would either shive each other and trip together or be too tired to remember what we fought about." She explained making James laugh. He had a wonderful laugh but it wasn't helping her get out of there.

"Pete has the magical version of that, and this is the marauder way of doing it." He explained smiling at her, "It won't open like that, you can't use your intimidating look to will it open, Evans." He joked a bit feeling that it was more important to calm her that to talk about why they ended up in there.

"I don't have an intimidating stare." She quipped not looking away from him, she even frowned appalled at the idea.

"Oh yeah, you do." James smirked fixing his glasses.

"I'm one sixty five! I can't be that intimidating to someone like you that seem to be two meters tall!" she replied with a gasp swatting his arm not hard enough to cause damage but enough to make her point.

James laughed now that she didn't seem so preoccupied with where they were. "Yeah, you are, you feel bigger than Hagrid when you do it. It's quite scary, you could give Minnie a run for her money." He teased.

"No, I couldn't!"

"Yeah, you could." He smirked, "It's okay, it suits you somehow."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment, Potter?" she asked crossing her arms still feeling uneasy about being in there but James was just infuriating, even in the damn broom closet where they couldn't get out, unless they got along. "Don't do this." She said suddenly, "We are supposed to get along, to open the damn door, don't do this, I don't want to be here." She added severely feeling the stuffiness get to her again, how they couldn't get out and the room seemed to get even smaller.

James sighed ruffing his hair nervously, he always did that when he was anxious, he wanted to help but it seemed that he only made it worst. "I was just trying to distract you. I'm not trying to stay here longer than we have to, but I'm not sure if the room would take were are moving forward if you are afraid." He tried explaining hoping that she understood that he might be an ass in other things, but not on this.

Lily nodded and looked at her hand on the door, It was a stupid method to solve problems, boys were really dumb. "How many times have you been in here?" she asked trying to think of another thing.

"Four, Peter holds the record with eight." James replied leaning on the wall next to the door so Lily could see the frame and look at him as they spoke.

"Really?"

"He's the moodiest of us all. Sirius likes to blow things over proportion but you can usually tell when he has a problem, and Remus is smart enough to not hold that many grudges but we all are just idiots." He chuckled fixing his glasses once more.

Lily's breathing was evening out but she still was holding to the door like it was a lifeline and James was growing worried by the minute. He wanted to break the door, to make them go out and her feel better but that wouldn't work. "Evans, do you trust me?" he asked suddenly, breaking the little train thought Lily had going in her head.

The Gryffindor Prefect looked at her companion, James Potter was wild, he was an ass when he wanted to, and he was an bloody idiot most of the time, but after allowing herself to get to know him she understood that James was an idiotic oy, yes, but his heart was actually in the right place and after the incident in fifth year he had seemed to grow a bit somehow. She thought of all the times her and Snape had talked about Potter and all the actions that went with James' character and after thinking it she wasn't sure why but she couldn't imagine replying to James answer negatively. "Yeah, I do."

James nodded and pushed himself of the door taking Lily's hand from the door, "I need you to close your eyes, please." Lily looked at him quizzically, she wasn't sure were this was going exactly, after all he had just asked her to go to Hogsmeade a few days ago, but James wouldn't take advantage like that, would he? No, Lily didn't think so. "I just want to distract you from where we are, that won't work if you are holding to that door, would it?"

Nodding Lily let James take her hand for a bit longer, it was good, he anchored her when she closed her eyes, she could still think of the broom closet and the little space but she thought she would give James' idea a try.

James gave her simple instructions, think of a big, massive even, place that she adored, somewhere where she felt the safest and happiest, it didn't matter where or that he told him just that it was in Lily's mind. "Think on how it feels, is there a texture particular to that spot?" he asked for her to imagine as he rubbed gentle circles on her knuckles feeling how Lily's mind went out of their little closet and to a less troubled place. "Think of the smells, smells are always brilliant to remember things." He admitted not taking his eyes of Lily and just making sure that he wasn't making things worst, that he was just there for her.

Lily could feel the fluffy sofa of the Common Room, the smell of the fireplace and the permanent smell of burning wood and oranges that was left after a marauders' prank. She knew the shape of the cushions and the comfy blanket that she always brought, she could even see the stars from the nearby window.

"That's brilliant, Lily, you did it." He smiled, speaking after a few minutes of Lily being silent and calmed. "Now, just keep thinking of that, were are just there talking, yeah?" he asked hoping she wouldn't get back to the panicked feeling of before, he knew she wasn't exactly happy there but at least she wasn't over worrying. "Can you please tell me, what are we fighting about? Because, in all honesty, I can't think of anything." He admitted looking at their joined hands, liking the sensation but feeling his mind should focus on other things.

Lily was brought back to reality, she could feel James' cologne and how safe he made her feel as he tried his best to keep calm as he asked the things that would let them be out, but the question he uttered just made her jolt and take her hand back. The darkness of the broom closet reminding her she wasn't actually in the Common Room. "You know perfectly well. You asked me out, just because we kissed at spin the bottle last year doesn't mean I'm interested, we were finally…" she sighed frustrated looking aback at the door, "We were finally getting along."

James shouldn't have been hurt by Lily's words, he shouldn't have, but he was. He knew she wasn't interested, he wasn't going to push it, he was actually trying to get over it because this was getting ridiculous and one could hope only for so long. Instead of being mad at her, or frustrated, he just rolled his eyes like it was another kind of joke, because his intentions remained the same, he wanted the fight to end. "I was asking you out as  _mates_  we are going as a  _bloody group_ , Evans." He admitted shaking his head, "The blokes and Dorcas and Marlene are coming. And you say I'm the conceited one." He joked placing his hands inside his pockets.

The redhead looked at him and blinked at his reply, he wasn't trying to ask her out? It was all a misunderstanding? She ought to feel relieved about that revelation but somehow it felt wrong, it felt like she  _wanted_  him to ask her out. However they were right, things were starting to be alright, they should stir the cauldron, right?

"Oh… then I'm sorry, my bad." she added in a small voice before hearing the click of the door opening.

"Don't worry about it, Red, we all make mistakes." James smiled at her and held the door open for her not wanting it to close again. "After you."

"Thank you."


End file.
